Tell me your Christmas menus

[Kendodd]

Breakfast, lunch and dinner, all of it, I need ideas!

@SimpsonXmasBoogie
I would love a Nordic Ware Bundt Pan!!!!! I have always thought the pine forest looks lovely. I keep looking on ebay in the hope someone is getting rid of one. Can I ask if you use a spray to grease the tin or do you butter well and flour the inside to keep the defination of the sponge pattern.

This year we will be spending Christmas in our campervan. We have 2 gas rings to cook on.

Im planning:
Breakfast: cinnamon rolls or croissants..
Starters:Homemade veg Soup of some kind., prepared in advance and heated on day.
Dinner: chicken breast wrapped in parma ham, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, Brussels and fine beans and pigs in blankets (we have an omnia stove oven for roasting & baking)
Dessert: crumble and cream

I don't do Xmas but I do love a dinner party. Some easy things I have done that go down well.

Courgette and coriander soup.
Brie and mango chutney in filo parcels.
Chicken liver pate.
Chicken and pork terrine.
Asparagus wrapped in ham that has been 'buttered' with French mustard.

Main I assume you are doing turkey but some nice veg options.

Mashed potato and parsnips with garlic.
Parsnips roasted in honey.
Turnips mashed with cream and crisp streaky bacon bits.
New potatoes, boiled then lightly crushed and roasted in oil.

For a special breakfast I'd probably do scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and buck's fizz.

I don't know what to make this year, not really fancying a roast, even having read all your lovely lists, which I hoped would get me in the mood! I am tempted to do something like canapes of smoked salmon and pigs in blankets, followed by steak. I can't decide if it would feel disappointing to not have a Christmas dinner though.

Xmas day at in laws

Boxing Day at ours just the 3 of us

Breakfast might do full English for husband and son.
Croissants for me

Lunch salad / cheese / meats / pigs in blankets

Steaks with roast potatoes and carrots

Cake leftover from Xmas day

Dinner
Nuts/ cheese / meats / party food

Breakfast - poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on sourdough, fresh fruit. DD will have a dippy egg with fruit. Coffee. Orange juice.

Nibbles after mass (late morning) - nuts, nice crisps, cucumber sticks/carrot sticks and hummus for DD. Champagne.

Lunch (2ish) - full roast but no meat (we’re veggie) - so cauliflower cheese, lots of roast potatoes/parsnips/carrots, broccoli, sugar snaps, red cabbage, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings. Christmas pudding with baileys cream for the grown ups, Rudolph ice lollies for the littles.

Children’s tea (5.30pm ish) - beans on toast usually - just something simple that they love to start winding down for bed.

Adults’ supper (7.30pm ish once littles are in bed) - epic cheese board, crackers, crusty bread, wine.

Christmas Eve

Breakfast: luxurious cheese on toast (using fancy cheeses) DH doesn’t eat cheese so will stick to his Weetabix

Lunch: buffet at my mums. She’s always puts in a great spread! My brother is a vegan so always new and interesting things to try

Supper: home made pizza and then snacks while DS1, DH and I watch elf

Christmas Day

Breakfast: bacon sandwiches and croissants for the kids

Lunch: roast lamb and slow roasted beef shin with pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash, red cabbage, roasted sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, various green veggies and Yorkshire puddings
** may also have stuffing but I’m the only one who eats it so seems a faff

Pudding: Yule log, profiteroles and some kind of Chocolate gateau (DH doesn’t like
Mince pies or Xmas pud so no point getting it for me!)

Supper: if we’re still hungry later usually sandwiches using left over cheese, Xmas food and snacky stuff

[quote HelebethH]@SimpsonXmasBoogie
I would love a Nordic Ware Bundt Pan!!!!! I have always thought the pine forest looks lovely. I keep looking on ebay in the hope someone is getting rid of one. Can I ask if you use a spray to grease the tin or do you butter well and flour the inside to keep the defination of the sponge pattern.[/quote]
I bought mine off the Nordic Ware website. Even though it's a US company they are very well set up to ship orders to other places. I'm in Australia which is often forgotten about when it comes to international shipping, but they made it very easy and it was reasonably priced postage.

I use softened, but not melted, butter, and brush it on. I don't bother dusting with flour.

I've never tried using spray oil but I've heard it's a bad idea because apparently it runs straight down the surface and pools in the bottom of the pan. That being said, I watched Nigella use spray oil on the exact same pan on her Christmas show and her cake came out beautifully. So it might be fine!

@SimpsonsXmasBoogie

Ah sorry, I forgot Christmas lunch dessert! We have a Nordic Ware pine forest bundt pan which I make a nice rich, vanilla sponge cake, dusted with icing sugar.

What time shall I arrive?

Oh I love these threads, [sigh]

Waitrose are doing some lovely orange and cranberry belgian buns which I think will be breakfast for us.

Christmas Eve:
Out for brunch with DD. We'll have a DIY festive afternoon tea about 3pm and a baked camembert in the evening.

Christmas Day:

Breakfast - Coffee, bucks fizz and pastries probably pain au choc and proscuitto and brie

Lunch - Roast Turkey and beef, chipolatas, stuffing, roast pots, yorkies, sprouts, carrot and swede mash, caramelised parsnips with shallots and bacon
Chocolate orange cheesecake or Christmas pud
Champagne

Dinner - Cheese, pate & accompaniments
Rioja
Mince pies/Christmas cake
Chocolate

Boxing Day

No idea as we'll be at my mums first thing but remainder of the day (and the next few) will involved leftovers and frozen party food.

Brunch: gravadlax on rye bread
A selection of pastries- cinnamon buns, croissants and others from bakery

Dinner: traditional turkey roast with roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, carrot, broccoli, runner beans, cauliflower cheese, caramelised roasted Brussels sprouts. Lingonberry sauce, bread sauce, gravy. Usually left over polish food from Christmas Eve- so pierogi probably.

Supper: cheese board with crackers and pickles etc

Pudding: babka and a fruit crumble with custard

@sashh ohh your brie and mango chutney filo pastries sound lovely- my MiL has just given us homemade mango chutney. I found this recipe secretsauce.co.uk/vegetarian/canape-recipes/brie-and-mango-chutney-parcels/ does yours have any extras to it?

@Kendodd just buy the M&S triple chocolate panettone and have done with it! It’s immense, luxurious, chocolaty, moist so no need to toast or add jams and butters, save yourself the time and just cut it up on Christmas morning for everyone to help themselves.

Breakfast- just a normal breakfast albeit for 10. So I'll do toast, eggs, cereal, fruit.

No lunch but big nibbles throughout the day- sausage rolls, smoked salmon on brown bread, mince pies.

Dinner (earlyish due to small children)- turkey, chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, gravy, cranberry, bread sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, braised red cabbage and apple, sprouts with pancetta, peas, carrots.

Christmas pudding with cream or ice cream.

Cheese.

What buck's fizz do people recommend? We always have the M&S one & just add orange slices but I've never tried any others.

Breakfast, nobody gets up til 9ish, champagne, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, English muffins.

Lunch
Starter: seafood sharing platters.
Main: Traditional Xmas Dinner (turkey and ham)
Pudding: Xmas pudding and brandy sauce.

Evening
Cold cuts, pickles, nuts, sausage rolls, salads, trifle, mince pies, meringue roulade.

@breadrollz would you make your own? That’s always my preference, a dry champagne such a brut is good in Buck’s Fizz. I mix with innocent orange juice as I like it sweet! 😊

Panetonne
Clementines

Smoked salmon / hot smoked sea trout / prawns and brown bread, salad.
Christmas tree meringue with berries.

Champagne and nibbles: tiny walnut and spring onion tarts, etc

Turkey
Chipolatas, bacon rolls, some nutty / fruity stuffing, sausage meat stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Spiced Red cabbage, sprouts, peas
Cranberry sauce, bread sauce, gravy.
Christmas pudding, brandy sauce

Christmas Eve is rib of beef with roasties, yorkies etc, and trifle.

Boxing Day is game pie, ham, mince pies, cheeses.

[quote Christmas1988]@Kendodd just buy the M&S triple chocolate panettone and have done with it! It’s immense, luxurious, chocolaty, moist so no need to toast or add jams and butters, save yourself the time and just cut it up on Christmas morning for everyone to help themselves.[/quote]
Good shout!

Breakfast: pastries, toast with jam and fruit

Lunch: home made chicken and leek pie with mash, cauliflower cheese; roast carrots and peas. Don’t know about pudding yet - probably something light.

Tea: m and s Cornish cruncher cheese bake and a few picky bits to dip in it

@FixItUpChappie

Breakfast is variable year to year, "lunch" is just appetizers/chocolate/goodies but dinner is the same meal I've eaten at every major holiday my whole life:

Dinner:
-Turkey
-broccoli casserole
-mashed potatoes
-stuffing
-gravy
-cranberry sauce

Dessert:
-Grasshopper pie and something else for my husband

Yum

It’s the mash I don’t get with Americans. Do you never have roast potatoes?

Eggs Benedict
Roast dinner but with Turkey and ham
Some kind of profiterole pudding or a cheesecake
Cheeseboard
Lots of red wine

Breakfast: early on the half eaten mince pie left by FC. Later: random chocolate selection.
Lunch: er, a turkey dinner followed by pudding.
Evening: a turkey sandwich.

Easy!

It's the most predictable day of the year, which to me is its charm.